Windham Hill Records

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Windham Hill Records is a record company, founded in the 1976 by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson.

Windham Hill was originally a folk music label, releasing Ackerman's own work, as well as that of other guitarists. It then expanded to include electronic and world music ensembles. The label is best known for its high sound quality, groundbreaking music, unique flagship collections and tasteful album art.

Some of the best-known artists on the label were:

Guitarist Michael Hedges
World fusion ensemble Shadowfax
Pianist George Winston
Pianist Jim Brickman
New age and electronic composer Vangelis
Celtic jazz group Nightnoise
Violinist Darol Anger
Mandolin player Mike Marshall
Bassist Michael Manring
Pianist and singer Barbara Higbie
Guitarist Alex de Grassi
Composer Mark Isham
Pianist Liz Story
Guitarist (and founder) William Ackerman

The label's records were distributed by A&M Records until PolyGram purchased A&M in 1989. Since then they have been distributed via BMG. Ackerman sold half of the company to BMG in 1992 and the rest in 1996. BMG began distributing Windham Hill through RCA Records. Now a majority of Windham's releases are distributed through Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony BMG. BMG has no A&R department in Windham Hill, but releases artists previously signed; namely Jim Brickman and George Winston.

For Windham Hill's 30th Anniversary, Sony BMG released a special collection kit, with an article from Will Ackerman.

For the first time in over 15 years, many of the early Windham Hill artists who recorded under Ackerman performed together on August 27, 2006 at the Villa Montalvo in Saratoga, CA near San Jose, CA. Though more "30th Anniversary" concerts are set, this was the only planned concert of this magnitude. Artists included: Barbara Higbie, Jim Brickman, Tuck & Patti, Alex de Grassi, Liz Story, Philip Aaberg, Michael Manring, Samite, David Cullen, Tracy Silverman, Lisa Lynne, George Tortorelli, Sean Harkness (who also planned and invited the musicians), and, of course, Will Ackerman.